EVA 03 : The Coming Storm
by Le Cadavre Coupable
Summary: The fourth child shows up in Tokyo3, and shakes things up a bit for the EVA team. Currently on haiatus.
1. Chapter 1

A teenage boy sat at the window, his chin resting on his hand. He gazed at the clouds floating past the bullet train window. A sigh escaped his throat, unheard by the other passengers. For them, it was not unusual for someone like him to be taking a quick trip to the city. After all, Tokyo-3 was the cultural center of the region. But he had his own thoughts. He alone knew that he was not just another kid visiting some far-off relatives. He alone knew his significance. He would soon be a celebrity, although he was now looked down upon as only a child. But he was content. He was glad for his privacy, for the chance to simply think.

He did not need fame. In fact, the fourth child dreaded it.


	2. Chapter 2

At the same moment, another boy about the same age was thinking along the same lines. But Shinji Ikari had his own reasons for wanting to be invisible.

He ducked under a picnic table just as a textbook bounced where his head had been. He peeked back up in time to see a vengeful deity with red hair hurl something else at him. He dodged someone's lunch box narrowly, only to be hit square in the face by another book.

He fell to his back, stunned, as his roommate (and enemy, at the moment) stomped down on his chest. She looked down her nose at his prone figure and glared. He regained his senses just as she started sucking in air, ready to let him have it.

"You ignorant, self-centered, sexist pervert! I can't believe you!" She looked about ready to burst with pure rage. "I thought you'd learned your lesson, but I guess I overestimated you. I'll just have to teach you again!" She brought back her fist.

Reacting more out of fear than reason, Shinji shouted. "Asuka, wait!" She froze, but didn't put her hand down. Or let him up.

He continued, determined to save himself from certain death. "It was all Toji's idea! I swear! He put me up to it! You know I'd never have the guts to do something like that myself, right? Right!"

She lowered her hand, but didn't get off of him. She gave Shinji a wicked grin. "You make a good point, _Baka_." She turned around, and fixed her stare on another boy, this one tall and light-haired. He was pretending to look away, but jumped when he saw Asuka's wrathful stare.

He turned to run. "Toji, you stop right there!" He stopped, fearful of Shinji's fate befalling him as well. His head slowly swiveled back to her, shaking in terror.

"W-what, Asuka?" he whimpered.

"My dear Baka here has an interesting story to tell. He claims that this whole fiasco was your idea. This wouldn't happen to be true..." she cracked her knuckles, "...would it?"

Toji chuckled nervously. "Of course it's not! I-I mean, who would you believe, me or Shinji?"

Asuka looked back down at Shinji. "Another good point, Baka. What do you have to say?"

Shinji squirmed under her foot. "Come on, Asuka! You know I don't have the guts. You know me better than that!"

Asuka smiled at him, seemingly nice for a moment. "You know what, _Shinji_?" She said his name mockingly. "I believe you. You're a coward. I mean, come on! We've been sleeping in the same apartment for a month and you haven't tried anything perverted yet. No normal man can resist me, but you're just too scared. Plus, you're not smart enough to hatch that good of a plan. A peephole into the girl's locker room is just too complicated for your tiny brain to think up. You're free to go."

She moved her foot. Shinji sighed with relief, but had the wind knocked out of him as Asuka's foot connected with his stomach.

"Oh, and Shinji..." she said, smiling at him sweetly, "Never do anything like that again. You may be spineless, but you should know that I'll hurt you much worse than Toji ever could." She watched as he ran off, before turning back to Toji.

Toji froze, halfway up the school yard fence, caught in his escape. Asuka glared again. "And where the hell do you think you're going? I'm not done with you yet!"

Toji's screams were far behind Shinji by the time he stopped to rest. He knew he'd have to face Toji's anger later, but he didn't care. Asuka was right about one thing. Toji just didn't have as murderous a mind as she did. He really had just reaped the benefits of Toji's scheme, but Toji wouldn't see it that way.

He chuckled to himself, glad that the day's madness was over. He started to walk again, this time with a cheerful bounce in his step. He closed his eyes in contentedness, whistling his favorite song.

But Shinji's day was far from over. As he rounded the street corner, he ran straight into his other fellow pilot, Rei.

She dropped the groceries she had been carrying, and they rolled away down the street as the bag broke. Shinji blushed in embarrassment. Of all the people to run into, why did it always have to be Rei?

"Pilot Ikari. I apologize for my clumsiness. It will not happen again."

Shinji blushed darker. "Oh, it's okay, Rei. It was my fault."

He bent down to pick up some of the runaway food. Rei did the same. They both spent a number of minutes tracking down everything.

Rei stood up, her arms full. "Pilot Ikari."

Shinji looked up. "Yes, Rei?" When she didn't answer, he stood as well. "Is there something you want to tell me?" he asked her, suspicious. Rei was always very confident, and now she seemed unsure of herself.

"Pilot Ikari, I do not know how to say this." she said, a confused expression on her face.

Something in Shinji's stomach fluttered. "Say what?"

Rei looked away for a moment, then looked deeply into Shinji's eyes. "I was wondering if you would like to watch a movie later tonight, or eat dinner together somewhere."

Shinji couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was Rei, the girl of his dreams, asking him out on a date?

"Uh," he stumbled, uncertain of how to react, "Sure, Rei. That sounds great."

She smiled at him, giving him a measure of confidence. He smiled back.

"Excellent. I will inform Major Katsuragi."

Shinji's confidence was replaced with confusion. "Misato? Why would you tell her?"

Rei continued smiling at him. "She notified me of your desire to get to know me better. It makes sense that the two of us should learn more about each other. You and Pilot Sorhyu share the same residence, so you two are very close. But the whole team needs to be synchronized."

Shinji slumped as realization hit him. Not only had Misato guessed his love for Rei, she had tried to hook them up. But Rei had completely misunderstood his feelings for her. His day had just gotten much worse.

"Uh, actually, Rei, I have to study for a big exam tomorrow. Maybe we cold do this some other time."

Rei did not look the least bit disappointed, heightening Shinji's depression. "Of course, Pilot Ikari. We shall rendezvous at a time more suitable for your schoolwork."

She turned and walked away. Shinji watched her go, feeling worse than when Asuka had kicked him in the gut.


	3. Chapter 3

Shinji walked into his apartment with his shoulders slumped. He felt horrible. He threw his keys on the kitchen table, right in front of Misato, who was drinking a beer (as usual). Seeing his sadness, she kept quiet.

He opened the door to his room, looking forward to good long afternoon of brooding. But his plans were interrupted by the sight of Asuka lounging on his bed.

"So the victorious hero returns from his conquests! How was the fighting, Baka?"

Shinji looked back at her with bored confusion. "What are you talking about, Asuka?"

She grinned devilishly. "I heard about your little date with Rei. Misato let it slip when I got home, and I just couldn't help but get the details firsthand." Seeing his gloom for the first time, she added "You said yes, right?"

Shinji sighed. "I'm not in the mood to talk to you right now."

Asuka stood up with a snort of derision. "I'll bet you didn't. She asked you out on a date, and you said no. You're pathetic, Baka." She laughed outright. "I don't think I'll ever understand you."

Shinji fell face down onto his bed and sighed again. "Asuka, just go away. I need some time alone."

She walked out the door, looking back as she went. "I'm gonna take a shower. Feel free to join me, _Casanova_." She laughed again.

Misato knocked on Shinji's open door. "Shinji?"

He moaned.

Misato folded her arms and sat down on the corner of his bed. "Shinji, what happened?"

Shinji turned his head and looked at her with sorrow. "What do you think?" He paused. "I can't believe you told Rei. I mean, I can understand that you figured it out for yourself, but why tell her?"

Misato frowned. "Well it couldn't have hurt. If you keep bottling up your feelings, you'll never get anything done. It's not like she would just laugh in your face."

Shinji put his head down again and talked into his pillow. "She might as well have. I don't think she even understands the concept, let alone feel anything for me."

Misato stood up and put her hands on her hips. "That's a horrible thing to say! And anyway, you can't just mope around all day. We've got NERV business to take care of. I can assure you, it'll take your mind off of Rei."

Shinji rolled over and sat up. "What could we possibly be doing?"

Misato smiled. "I'm not going to ruin the surprise! Get freshened up, and then we'll leave."

Shinji stood up and walked to the doorway, now curious. But his curiosity returned to sadness when Asuka walked by his room. She was wearing only a towel.

She turned to him and put her hand to her head, as if fainting. "Oh, Shinji! I just can't stop thinking about you!" She held out her arms. "Take me, you big man!"

Shinji shut the door to her loud guffaws.

After being silent for most of a hair-raising drive through Tokyo-3, Shinji finally spoke up when they pulled up to the bullet train station.

"The train station? What are we doing here, Misato?"

She chuckled to herself, which she had been doing sporadically ever since they left the apartment.

Asuka huffed in indignation and glared at Misato. "I can't believe this! You got me all dressed up, and we're just meeting someone at the train station? Such a waste of my effort."

The car stopped, and Misato got out. She stuck her head back in and looked into the back seat. Seeing Shinji slumped against the window and Asuka fuming, she shook her head. "Come on, you two. This'll be fun."

They gave in. Asuka practically broke her door off its hinges. Shinji just weakly nudged his closed. Misato turned and walked briskly towards the main terminal. "We have to hurry, the train's almost here!"


	4. Chapter 4

The train stopped, causing the teenager to look up. They were at the central Tokyo-3 station, his stop. He stood up and made his way to the nearest exit. The crowd rushed forward, and he let it carry him out the door and onto the platform. He looked around for the welcoming party his old NERV commander had promised. Seeing nothing of interest, he started to walk off.

He stopped when a flash of red caught his eye. He turned to see a very strange group standing not too far away.

A tall brunette woman stood between two teenagers, the eye of a storm of emotion. A japanese boy stood on one side of her, his arms crossed and staring at his feet, the very picture of sorrow. The other side was occupied by a stunning redhead, dressed in a short white cocktail dress. She was tapping her foot in frustration, looking around angrily.

The teenager had just turned to continue walking when the woman reached into her pocket and took out a piece of paper. She unfolded it and held it up. It said "Benoit" in large black letters. Startled, he stopped again, and looked over the odd group again.

He noticed the woman's jacket emblem for the first time. It had a leaf with lettering, and a major's insignia on the collar. A NERV official. The unsightly bunch was more than met the eye.

He sighed and turned towards them. As he walked to his "welcoming party" (if they could be called one), he found his eyes constantly straying to the fiery redhead in front of him. He finally admitted to himself that this would be much more interesting than his old assignment.

Asuka had been standing on the platform exactly three seconds before boredom overcame her. She turned to Misato.

"Refresh my memory, Misato. What are we doing here again?"

Misato chuckled knowingly. "You'll see."

Asuka threw up her hands, giving up. She occupied herself by observing the crowd around her. She counted the number of teenage boys stealing glances at her, and smiled. But soon enough she was angry again, when she realized that all the boys looking at her quickly looked away after seeing Shinji.

She elbowed him in the ribs. "Would it kill you to cheer up, Baka? We might as well give in to the fact that Misato's not going to tell us why we're here. So smile already!"

Shinji just glared at her, before staring at his feet again.

Asuka resumed her impatient fuming. She folded her arms and tapped her foot, hoping Shinji would do something worthy of shouting at. She felt like yelling at him.

She had just started scanning the crowd again when one person in particular stood out. It was another teenage boy, watching her. But this one didn't keep looking away. She had his attention. He was walking towards her quickly, with purpose.

He stopped a number of feet in front of her. She was about to start flirting with him (hoping it would at least make Shinji uncomfortable), when he turned to Misato.

"I take it you were sent by NERV to meet me? Not much of a welcome, I have to say."

Asuka huffed. So he wasn't here for her. But if he was with NERV, then who was he?

Misato looked at Shinji and Asuka, then looked back at the new boy. She put up her hand.

"Luc Benoit. It's a pleasure to meet you. Shinji, Asuka, I would like to introduce you to the fourth child."

Shinji finally looked up to see the boy for the first time. The fourth child? He certainly didn't look the part. Where Shinji was small and thin, Luc was broad shouldered, if only of average height. He had dark brown hair, unkempt and not quite short. His NERV duffel bag was casually slung over his shoulder. He looked more like an average high school student than an EVA pilot.

He turned to Shinji. "Shinji Ikari, I presume. I'm honored to meet the second child. And of course, the son of Commander Ikari. I take it he's a bit caught up at work?"

Shinji grimaced and looked back at the ground. However interesting a new pilot may be, he didn't seem to be very interesting himself.

Asuka didn't seem to think so, though.

"Benoit. What is that, French?"

Luc smiled. "_Vous avez raison, madame_. Langley. What is that, German? And Sorhyu, Japanese?"

She smiled back. "You've done your research, Mr. Benoit." She winked at him. He smiled a bit wider.

"Please, call me Luc. If we're going to be fighting Angels together, you should call me by my first name." He winked back. Shinji frowned. If Luc was falling for Asuka already, his life had just gotten a lot harder.

Luc spoke up again. "Oh, and Asuka," she smiled, "I'm staying at my own place, so don't waste your time trying to flirt with me." The smile left her face, and she huffed in frustration as she folded her arms to pout.

Shinji looked up, happy for the first time all day. He smiled at Luc, who returned it with a hint of respect.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, Luc wasn't the least bit surprised that he was going to Shinji, Asuka, and Rei's school. But they were.

As soon as he walked into his classroom, he heard a gasp (quickly followed by a "humph") and a chuckle. He looked into the back row and saw Shinji grinning at him, a couple seats down from Asuka. She was glaring at him with a disdainful look on her face. On Shinji's other side was a tall, light-haired boy he hadn't seen before. Next to him was a short boy, a bit nerdy looking. And at the end of the row was a very pale girl with short white hair. Rei Ayanami, no doubt.

Luc made his way back and sat next to Asuka, who turned away from him. He grinned slightly and turned on his personal computer.

He had a new e-mail from Shinji, sent only 30 seconds ago. He opened it.

'Still facing the wrath of Asuka? Don't worry, she'll snap out of it eventually.'

-Shinji

Luc sent back his own message.

'I hope she does. After all I've heard about you two from Major Katsuragi, I'm fearing for my life."

-Luc

Just as his message was sent, another popped up.

'Don't think you're out of the line of fire yet. I'm just getting started.'

-Asuka

Luc chuckled, getting another withering glare from Asuka. She closed her computer with a thump and turned away from him.

Luc frowned. He didn't really want to hurt Asuka's feelings, he was just playing her game.

He sent her a message. Her computer beeped, and she opened it again.

'Okay, Asuka. I'm sorry. I guess I just haven't gotten over the jet lag yet. : )'

-Luc

She smiled, but still didn't look at him.

'Maybe there's hope for you yet. Meet me by the pool during lunch break and we'll continue this little discussion."

-Asuka

Luc leaned back and put his hands behind his head. He was unsure of Asuka's intentions, but glad to be on good terms with her.

At lunch, Shinji looked around for Luc, wanting to introduce him to some of his friends. He was about to give up when he finally caught a glimpse of him, down by the pool. Shinji was about to call him over when he saw someone else waiting for him at the fence. Red hair, defiant posture, even at this distance he could tell it was Asuka. Shinji wondered for a moment why she would want to meet Luc, before she grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him around the corner. Shinji looked back to his lunch, wondering what injuries Luc would have in class later.

Luc was a bit frightened when Asuka dragged him away, but he relaxed when she let him go just out of sight of the school yard. She turned towards him and folded her arms, but looked more pensive than angry.

Curious, Luc spoke up. "What is it, Asuka?"

She regarded him with suspicion for a moment, then sighed. "I just don't get you, Luc."

He raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"First you act all high and mighty, thinking you've got everything under control, then you go and apologize to me. You didn't have to. It's not like you had anything to gain from it. I just don't get it."

"Oh..." Luc smiled. "Is there anything wrong with just being nice?" He chuckled. "Don't tell me no one's ever apologized to you before."

She returned the laugh. "Oh, don't worry. Baka has had to apologize many, many times."

"Baka?"

"That's Shinji. My little name for him."

Luc grinned wickedly. "Aw, isn't that cute. You've got pet names for each other."

She punched him in the shoulder, quite hard. "Don't even think about saying that. You can ask Shinji what I do to people who get me mad."

Luc giggled. "I think I have a pretty good idea now. Ouch."

Asuka smirked. "At least you're better than Baka. I think I could grow to like you, Luc Benoit." Luc felt something in his stomach flutter as she flashed him a dazzling smile.

"I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship, Asuka. Shall we rendezvous later to celebrate?"

She bit her lip for a moment, thinking. "After synch tests today. I'd like to see how good you are in an EVA." She smiled again.

"Oh, you'll see alright."


	6. Chapter 6

Despite his unfamiliar surroundings, Luc was still comfortable in his pilot suit. The dark gray surface clung tightly to his skin, the orange joints moving with him. He strode down the corridor towards the hangar. He looked through a nearby window, and was comforted by the sight his EVA's long, beaked face.

"_Bonjour, mon vieux ami. Il y a beaucoup que nous devons apprendre._"

Luc started as he heard a voice behind him.

"You know, it's just a bunch of metal, plastic, and oil. It's not going to say anything back to you."

He turned, and was confronted by Asuka, arms akimbo.

"Don't worry, _mon vieux ami_," she said, "I do it sometimes too." She walked past him and leaned on the window sill. "Sometimes, it seems like they are trying to tell you something, and you just can't understand them. Maybe they are. Maybe that's why they look so human."

Luc joined her at the window. "Well, they understand us pretty well." He looked to Asuka. "You know, for someone with such a tough exterior, you sure do some deep thinking."

She chuckled, more sad than anything else. "Shinji would have just said that was nonsense." She turned to face him. "Most people around here don't take me seriously. No one takes the time to give me any thought, except for Shinji and his friends, and they're just afraid."

Luc frowned slightly. "How could anyone be afraid of you? I mean, sure, sometimes you can be kind of intimidating, but you mean well."

Asuka looked out the window and chuckled again. "If you told that to Shinji, he'd faint."

Luc followed her gaze to his EVA. "I guess if you save the world on a daily basis, you can't exactly see eye-to-eye with other people. Even other pilots. The three of you here have some interesting relationships."

Asuka cocked an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

"Let's just say that Major Katsuragi can't keep a secret."

Asuka giggled, then grinned. "I still can't get over that little debacle between Rei and Shinji. If he ever got up the nerve to come clean with her, they'd be just fine."

"But he hasn't."

She looked back up at him, with a look in her eyes that Luc hadn't seen before. It seemed like she was holding something back. "I guess a lot of problems could be solved by a little courage."

It was Asuka's turn to jump when another voice came from behind them.

"Ah! Here are the two lovebirds! Misato's been going out of her head looking for you! You better hurry up."

Asuka's face lit up as she turned around. "Mr. Kaji!"

Luc turned himself, to see a tall, unshaven man with a silly grin on his face. Mr. Kaji shooed them both down the hall before she could continue. "Off to the tests with you! Sorry, Asuka, I don't have time to steal your heart today."

Asuka pouted as Mr. Kaji leaned down and whispered in Luc's ear. "Thanks for taking her off my hands. She's all yours."

He left Luc with something to ponder as he shoved them into the waiting room and slammed the door. Shinji and Rei, sitting on opposite sides of the room, looked up at the sound. Shinji looked away again after glimpsing Asuka, but Rei stood up and walked towards Luc.

"Pilot Benoit. Greetings. I am Rei Ayanami, pilot of EVA-00. I look forward to working with you." She turned around and sat down again, leaving Luc with a cold feeling in his gut.

Asuka, after looking back through the door for Mr. Kaji (who had mysteriously disappeared), surveyed the room, taking special attention to Shinji and Rei's distance.

"Well Shinji, as always, your self-control amazes me. Let's get this show on the road." She walked towards the door to the hangar.

The heavy metal door nearly hit her in the face when it opened, revealing Misato. She had another knowing grin on her face.

Asuka, still standing in the doorway, was a bit surprised. "Misato, when are we going to start the synch tests?"

Misato put on an expression of mock confusion. "Synch tests? What synch tests?"

Asuka was becoming frustrated already. "Come on! Let's get this over with!"

Misato didn't move. "What, Asuka? Do you have a date or something?" Asuka blushed, but only Misato could see. She turned to the rest of the room.

"Today we'll be trying something new. Since you've all met your new teammate," she glanced at Asuka with a hint of a smile, "We'll help you get to know him, and especially his skills, a bit better. So instead of boring old synch tests, today we'll be doing personal combat."

Shinji, Asuka, and Rei looked at each other, then at Luc. He shrugged. "I had no idea about any of this."

Misato chuckled. "Of course, but Command did. We've wanted to get you guys into better shape ever since Shinji got attacked at the arcade."

Asuka turned on Shinji. "Yeah, I don't want to have to save your ass from every thug who wants your pocket change."

Shinji just grumbled.

Misato took advantage of the brief silence. "Okay, everyone. Pair up now. Asuka and Rei, and Shinji and Luc, to start. We'll mix it up when we get farther into training."

Once he had gotten changed into his new workout clothes, Shinji inspected his garments. They reminded him of his pilot suit, but with no sleeves and short legs. Luc followed him out, similarly dressed, and they both started to explore the room. Punching bags lined one wall, with boxing gloves on a rack nearby. There was also a fencing strip (with swords and equipment), a boxing ring, and a wrestling mat, all good distances apart. Asuka and Rei exited their locker room and also inspected their new training room.

Misato joined them a moment later and let them wander around for a minute or two. Then she took out a brand new coach's whistle and blew it. Shinji, Rei, and Luc jumped, and Rei turned towards Misato, completely unfazed.

Misato stood ramrod straight, with a measure of authority. "Welcome, children, to boot camp. For the next three weeks, I'll be drilling you into shape, so don't expect me to go easy on you. Now, everyone pick a sport, and we'll start from there."

Luc smiled. "I see where this is going."

Shinji walked over to the fencing strip, and picked up a foil. "Cool." Asuka strode to the boxing ring and put on a pair of gloves. She started bouncing back and forth, punching an imaginary opponent. Luc made his way to the wrestling mat.

Misato looked to Rei, who hadn't moved. "Rei, why don't you join in with someone?"

She looked up at the mention of her name. "Major Katsuragi, I would rather work independently. If I were to engage one of my fellow pilots in personal combat, it would only weaken one of us, and encourage hostility."

Misato scratched her head for a second. "Well, I guess that makes sense. But for now, why don't you go work with Shinji. I'm sure he won't feel any hostility towards you at all."

Shinji frowned at her, and she countered with a smirk. Rei picked up her own foil, and took up a fighting stance.

Misato looked to Asuka and Luc. Come on, you two. For now, we'll watch the two of them go at it. And Shinji, Rei?" They looked up. "Don't worry about the pads. Your suits should protect you well enough."

Luc and Asuka sat down on one side of the strip, and watched as Shinji and Rei stared each other down.

Shinji raised his sword, only to have it knocked out of his hand by Rei. She poked him in the stomach with her own weapon. "_Touché_ is the phrase, I believe."

Shinji rubbed his wrist and picked up his sword again. He lunged at Rei, but the attack ended the same way. Shinji looked down Rei's sword, pointed at his chest, and slumped. Rei settled back into her stance. "Do not be discouraged, Pilot Ikari. You will improve."

Asuka laughed. "She's got a point, Baka! If you keep getting beaten down, you might learn a thing or two. Like knowing when you're outmatched!"

Misato glared at her, then looked sympathetically at Shinji. "Okay Shinji, that's enough. You go work with Luc on the wrestling mat. Asuka, it's your turn with Rei."

Asuka swiped shinji's sword from his hand leaving him to walk dejectedly over to the mat, where Luc was waiting for him. He was already in a low wrestling stance. Shinji mimicked him.

Luc extended his arm, and they shook hands. They began to circle each other. Luc reached for Shinji's arm, and in a matter of seconds, Shinji found himself staring at the ceiling in a daze. Luc got off him, and stood up straight.

Shinji got up shakily. Luc steadied him.

"Okay, Shinji. Try not to fall on your back. In wrestling, if you stay on your back for too long, you lose. So try to fall to your stomach."

Shinji nodded, still unsteady. Luc crouched, and they shook hands again.

This time, Shinji went on the offensive. After shaking his head, he ran at Luc and lunged for his legs.

Luc put his feet out behind him and threw his weight on Shinji's shoulders, flattening him to the mat. Shinji just went limp and groaned.

Luc helped him up again, and looked at him with concern.

Misato, who had been watching, picked this time to speak. "Oh, Shinji! I forgot to tell you. Luc here has been wrestling for four years now, league champion twice. Sorry about that. I guess it just slipped my mind..." she tapped herself in the head.

Luc gave Shinji a sympathetic grin. "don't worry. You're already improving." He reached towards Shinji. "here, give me your arm. I'll show you a little trick."

Shinji reluctantly obeyed. He knew he would be sore by the end of training, but at least he wasn't boxing with Asuka. He would survive the day.

But as he found himself counting the ceiling tiles again, he wondered at the truth of that statement.

After a rather depressing day of training with Shinji, Luc was looking forward to meeting Asuka. Once in the locker room, he stripped off his training clothes and tossed them in the towel bin at the end of the aisle. He hung his head and let cool air from the vent above him wash over his shoulders. He let the silence of the empty room enfold him, clearing his mind. He took a deep breath in his nose and slowly let it out his mouth.

Now fully relaxed, he put on his street clothes and walked towards the door. He passed Shinji on his way in, who was limping slightly from his prolonged beating.

Luc looked up at him. "Sorry about today, Shinji. I guess I just had a lot of pent up energy to let out."

Shinji gave him a weak smile. "It's okay." He grimaced and held his side. "Just try to leave me in one piece next time."

Luc smiled back at him. "No problem." He patted Shinji on the shoulder, then apologized when Shinji gasped in pain.

Luc opened the door to the waiting room, still talking to Shinji, and almost ran into Asuka. He stopped just in time, and heard Shinji chuckle and shuffle quickly away behind him.

Asuka didn't back up. "Well! Did you have fun with Baka today?"

Luc grinned back, a bit sadly. "I feel kind of bad for beating him up like that."

"Oh, don't worry about it." She leaned closer and whispered in his ear. "Just put it out of your mind. We've got more _personal_ things to do."

_Well, she's sure making it easy._ he thought.

He breathed in, just becoming aware that he had been holding his breath. He caught the sweet scent of her hair, the warmth of her skin, so close to his. She reached up an arm to his shoulder.

And pushed him away.

"Well I guess we should get going. Do you have something planned for us tonight?"

Despite Luc's sadness at her distance, he smiled. "Indeed I do. Shall we go?" He offered his arm, which she took.

"Who says chivalry is dead? Lead the way, good sir knight."

They left the room, leaving a certain sore male observer curious, and slightly disturbed. He frowned, thinking.

When Asuka had whispered over Luc's shoulder, she had been looking intently at Shinji.


	7. Chapter 7 interlude

Announcement: I'm stuck. Writer's Block sucks, you all know it. So, anyone have ideas on a short-term solution? Should I write about Luc and Asuka's date, or keep going afterwards? You should have picked up that something fishy is going on here, and I already know how I'm going to end the story, but I need some quick advice. Leave reviews, too, please. I want to see if you like the story, or I might not continue.


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